University of Ballarat

For many years the University of Ballarat has been in the forefront of enterprise and innovation. It boasts up-to- date teaching and research facilities, library, studio and lecture theatres and is known for its distinctive academic programs.

About 4,500 students study a variety of 50 specialised areas in nine specialist schools. The University's five campuses support its range of subjects with a personalised learning environment unrivalled by any other tertiary institution in Australia.

The University of Ballarat's tradition of excellence in tertiary education extends back to the 1870's when the School of Mines, Ballarat was established to meet the needs of a flourishing gold mining industry. Courses are designed to meet the current and future needs of employers, and are constantly monitored and upgraded to ensure they remain relevant to today's job market.

The University is giving high priority to programs that allow students to move between TAFE and Higher Education, thereby enriching educational opportunity and enabling students to match their choice of courses with their interests and motivations. Through the TAFE and Higher Education arms of the University, an extremely broad range of courses are offered to meet the region's diverse education and training needs. While the University is increasing its emphasis on on-line learning, it places great value on the high quality of its on-campus learning environment.

In all its activities, it is harnessing new technologies so that access to its educational programs in the region, and for students further afield, is increased through flexible delivery and on-line learning. The location of IBM Global Services on the University's Technology Park and the global Innovation Centre coupled with the location of a significant part of the State Revenue Office at the University, all show that we are facilitating the appropriate and timely uptake of ICT in the knowledge society in which we live. All of these provide exciting business development opportunities for the region and beyond. Significant numbers of our students enjoy part- time employment on our Technology Park.